


Fake Dating

by Isimile



Series: Marvel Bingo 2019 [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), M/M, Marvel Bingo 2019, Odin's A+ Parenting, Pre-Slash, Thor is a softie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-30 01:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20806079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isimile/pseuds/Isimile
Summary: Thor should really learn to think things through. Luckily Bruce has his back





	Fake Dating

Thor stared down at his dinner. The conversation at the table had successfully killed his appetite. Their father was once again going on about how good he, Thor, was at sports, how he had won the deciding point at the latest match, how surely all the girls were wanting to go out with him.

He’d loved the attention when he was younger. He’d loved how clear their father made it that he approved of Thor, more than he did of Loki. It was only lately that he was starting to realize that it was wrong, that his sibling should have been receiving the same care and affection.

It had only got worse after Loki came out as gender fluid about half a year ago. Since then, it felt like every family dinner, their father stressed how Thor’s team was going to the regional championships (never mind that Loki’s debate team was taking part on a national level), how he’d won them the match (never mind that it had a joint effort between him and two other teammates), how many girls had sent him gifts and letters for Valentine’s Day. He hated it. He hated how Odin was using him to show his disapproval. He hated how Odin didn’t seem to see or care that he was destroying the relationship between Loki and Thor.

Thor missed his sibling. He couldn’t remember the last time they had hung out together. It felt like years. Whenever he now tried to reach out to Loki, to reconnect, they rejected him.

He finally broke. His knife and fork clattering on the plate interrupted Odin mid-sentence.

“Thor? Is something the matter?” their mother asked.

“I...” What could he say? How did he explain that he did not want to be Odin’s golden boy anymore? Not if it meant losing Loki? “I have a boyfriend.”

~*~

If he’d thought the meal had been tense before, then he’d learned that it could be worse. The silence after Odin had demanded if he was kidding and he had denied that it was a joke had been unsettling. He’d never had to bear the brunt of his father’s disapproval like this. Was this what Loki always had to deal with?

The only bright point of the evening had been the slight hesitant smile of commiseration Loki had sent him.

Right now, he was hiding out in the students’ lab, knowing that people were unlikely to look for him here and that the other students here would probably leave him alone, too busy with their experiments.

“Thor? What are you doing here?”

Spoken too soon.

When he looked up, he was relieved to see Bruce standing in front of him. He smiled, hoping it seemed as carefree as usual. “Hey Bruce.”

“I thought you had training? At least Tony said that he’s going to watch Steve at training.”

“I’m not feeling up to training today,” Thor admitted.

“Would you like to talk about it?” Bruce asked.

Perhaps it was the genuine care in Bruce’s eyes or the gentle hand he rested on Thor’s shoulder as he led him to a quiet corner where they would not be overheard but he found himself spilling everything, from how he felt about the way Odin treated him and Loki to his spontaneous lie. “And now mother is insisting that I bring my boyfriend along for dinner sometime. What am I supposed to do? I can’t tell them that it was a lie. Loki will think that I said it to make fun of them.” He paused, then admitted quietly: “And I want to make Father finally start seeing _me_, all of me.” He glanced up at Bruce. “He keeps talking about my last game, even though we lost, but he ignores that I aced all my latest language exams.” Thor burrowed his hands in his hair. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I’m sure there are quite a few guys here at school who would be happy to have dinner with you.”

Thor gave him a look. “I can’t just spring my fucked up family on someone, can I? And who would want to come, after I tell them everything?”

“I would,” Bruce said, surprising even himself. He considered it, then repeated, more strongly: “I would do it.”

~*~

Thor was tempted to ask Bruce if he was regretting his offer already but that would only lead to questions he didn’t want to answer. His father was doing his best to pretend that Bruce wasn’t there while his mother tried to make small talk but kept interrupting herself whenever a line of conversation led to acknowledging Bruce being Thor’s boyfriend. The only reason Thor hadn’t fled the house was that Loki had chosen to sit beside him, close enough that their shoulders brushed, and that Bruce kept resting a gentle hand or finger on his lower arm. When he’d eaten as much as he could stomach in the situation, he took Bruce’ hand, wanting, needing more of his closeness.

“I think I might have seen you at Thor’s last match,” Frigga said.

Bruce nodded. “Possibly, yes. We all go to support our friends on the team and of course I wouldn’t want to miss watching Thor. Just like I went to watch when he went to the Language championship.”

Loki turned to their brother, surprised. “Language championship?”

“Yes, he might even get to take part in the language Olympics,” Bruce answered for him.

Thor ducked his head, embarrassed by how proud Bruce sounded. It was true, he had done very well and his teachers had mentioned the possibility of him taking part but it wasn’t certain yet, definitely not certain enough for him to bring it up at home. He hadn’t even been aware that his friends knew.

“Way to go, Thor,” Loki said, grinning.

“Yes. Yes, of course,” Frigga agreed after a moment. “Well done, Thor.”

Thor noticed that his father didn’t say anything, just like he noticed him mother’s surprise. It stung but not as much as expected, not as much as it might have. Bruce’s pride in his accomplishments, how pleased Loki was for him was like a balm, soothing the hurt at his parents’ reactions.

He also noticed the more and more meaningful glances Odin cast at the clock on the wall. He wanted to avoid him more or less politely throwing Bruce out, so he stood slowly. “Let me walk you to the door?”

“Sure.”

Thor barely hesitated before taking Bruce’s hand and tangling their fingers. He didn’t let go, even after the door to the dining room had closed behind them, taking them out of sight of his family. “Thank you for not running off,” he said after a moment.

“You’re welcome.”

They had reached the front door but Thor didn’t let go of his hand. He nervously cleared his throat. “Ah, perhaps we could have dinner after the match on Friday? Not with my family, out somewhere I mean.”

Bruce frowned, surprised by the request. “Do you expect your parents to be at the match?”

“I don’t. I just... I thought...” Thor stopped, not certain how to put it into words.

Bruce smiled gently, then stretched up to brush a quick kiss to Thor’s cheek. “I’d love to go on a date with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me on tumblr at [eleonorebirk.tumblr](https://eleonorebirk.tumblr.com/) where I will be posting the stories first


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